A bill was recently introduced in the U.S. Senate aimed at giving vehicle owners expanded options for repairs.
U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico) and Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) introduced the Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act. The bill, according to a statement from Lujan, ensures vehicle owners, independent repair shops, and aftermarket manufacturers have secure access to vehicle repair and maintenance data which is critical to the independent aftermarket industry’s ability to provide safe, dependable, and affordable repairs for consumers.
The REPAIR Act guarantees the rights of vehicle owners and their repair facilities to maintain and repair their vehicles while maintaining the same cybersecurity standards, intellectual property protections, and vehicle safety standards that the manufacturers use with their dealerships.
“Vehicle owners deserve to have options when it comes to safe, dependable, and affordable auto repairs,” said Luján. “Giving vehicle owners, independent repair shops, and aftermarket manufacturers access to vehicle repair and maintenance data is critical to improving repair options.”
Hawley said, “Big corporations have a history of gatekeeping basic information that belongs to car owners, effectively forcing consumers to pay a fixed price whenever their car is in the shop. The bipartisan REPAIR Act would end corporations’ control over diagnostics and service information and give consumers the right to repair their own equipment at a price most feasible for them.”
Lujan’s statement said the REPAIR Act protects consumers by:
- Preventing motor vehicle manufacturers from deploying barriers that limit the ability of a motor vehicle owner (or their designee) from accessing their vehicle-generated data
- Preventing barriers to an aftermarket parts manufacturer, a motor vehicle equipment manufacturer, a remanufacturer, a diagnostic tool manufacturer, or a motor vehicle repair facility (including their distributors and service providers), to access critical repair information, tools, and parts
- Requiring motor vehicle manufacturers to make “Vehicle-Generated Data” available to consumers (or their designees)
- Requiring motor vehicle manufacturers make “Critical Repair Information, Tools, and Parts” available to motor vehicle owners (and their designees), aftermarket parts manufacturers, remanufacturers, diagnostic tool manufacturers, and motor vehicle repair facilities (including their distributors and service providers)
- Ensuring that Over-the-Air updates do not render aftermarket parts inoperable
- Prohibiting the mandate of a motor vehicle manufacturer the use of any particular brand or manufacturer of tools, parts, or other motor vehicle equipment
- Ensuring federal enforcement through the Federal Trade Commission.
